(Setting: Scene takes place at a committee meeting. Actors are seated around a table.)

(All actors, but John, chat quietly as they walk up to the stage and take their seats.)

Dave: (Hits a glass with a teaspoon to get everyone’s attention.) Welcome everyone to tonight’s meeting.

Rhonda: Where’s John?

(Everyone looks around?)

Brian: That’s strange. He’s usually early for our meetings.

Dave: Has he told anyone he’s not coming? Maybe he’s an apology.

(Everyone shakes their heads.)

Dave: No problem; he’ll probably walk in any minute. We’ve got a lot of business to get through, so we’ll make a start without him. As you know, the Pastor has formed us into an Evangelism Committee so we can design and implement the church’s outreach program. You’ve all had a couple of weeks to pray and think about what we can do to reach the community. Let’s hear your ideas. (Everyone is quiet for a few seconds.) Who’s first? What about you, Jenny?

Jenny: I’ve come up with a brilliant plan, even if I do say so myself. I think the church should use a wayside pulpit to communicate to the lost in bold, succinct slogans. We could use multi-coloured backgrounds and neon lights at night. On warm nights, some of us could give out lollies to passers by. I’m sure you can get lollies that say “Jesus loves you” from Word Bookstore.

William: But, hardly anyone will see it. This isn’t a very busy street.

Jenny: (Getting excited.) I like what you’re saying. We should hire a space in a busy street and reach a wider audience. What about Latrobe Terrace, then?

Dave: Well, Jenny, you’ve certainly given us something to think about with that one. Does anyone else have any other thoughts? Brian?

Brian: I was thinking we could get a huge sign with neon lights all around it. I’m talking huge! We could mount it on a semi trailer and drive it round the streets so everyone would see it. I’m sure I can get a megaphone we could use to get the attention of everyone indoors. (Puts hands to mouth as if he’s using a megaphone.) Jesus is alive!! You better get your life right with God!!

Rhonda: Who’s going to drive the semi trailer??

Brian: (Thinks for a minute.) Not too sure about that.

William: Where will you get a semi trailer from?

Brian: (Thinks for a minute. Looks as though he’s thought of something and is about to speak, then realises it won’t work and thinks again.)

Dave: Thanks for that, Brian. That’s a really ambitious project. Rhonda, have you come up with anything?

Rhonda: (Excited) Thought you’d never ask. I think we should see if we can hire the exterior walls of the shops at Corio village and paint a mural on them. You know, the story of Jesus’ life and death. We could use bold, bright colours, just like Pro Hart.

Jenny: Do we know anyone who can paint that well?

Rhonda: I did paint by numbers once; it was easy! As long as you can count, you can paint!

William: Well, it would certainly reach a lot of people.

Brian: I wonder how much paint you’d need.

Dave: William, we have some great ideas here tonight. Have you come with any thoughts?

William: I certainly have. I can use my Dell Insipiron 3000ZX deluxe with its 512K broadband connection to work my way through Neighbourhood Cable’s firewall, bypass the retinal scan biometric security hack and into the main program co-ordination mainframe. From there I’ll crack the master system password using my hand-written triple DES password decryption program, upload my own TV show AVI file, re-route access to the scheduling software to the dummy administrator account I set up, and re-configure the settings to transmit on the correct channel.

All: (In unison) What?

William: I can tap into pay TV channel 804, the French Poodle lovers’ channel, and broadcast my own show over the top of one of their scheduled programs.

Rhonda: Wow, so you’d reach at least 12 people with your own TV show. What kind of show would you put together.

William: I think it would be most effective with that particular audience if I use puppets. You know, a variety of different dog characters.

Dave: Promising! Very promising.

Brian: What about you, Dave. Do you have any ideas.

Dave: Do I?? I was thinking we could build a number – probably four, but ten would be better – of (waits for a moment, looking around the room to savour the reaction) hot air balloons. They always get people’s attention. We could put Bible verses on them. Or, better yet, have a few really large banners going between the balloons with whole Bible passages on them.

Jenny: That sounds fantastic!

William: Yeah! I wonder how hard they’d be to make?

(John walks in and takes up his seat.)

John: You wonder how hard what would be to make?

(Everyone’s enthusiasm is suddenly dampened when they see John.)

Jenny: Where have you been?

Dave: Yeah! We thought you were really committed to reaching out. What kept you?

John: Sorry, I got caught up.

Brian: You got caught up? What could possibly be more important than this? (Mumbles to himself) Got caught up …

John: I was helping my new neighbour put up a shed. It was pretty windy outside and I thought I should help him out.

(The group all show their disapproval – shaking their heads, rolling eyes, etc)

Jenny: I suppose you wasted all that effort on a non-believer!

John: He is a non-believer. But while we worked together he asked me about myself and the subject of my church and my faith came naturally into the conversation. He seemed really open. I think if I show him some genuine friendship and love, I might be able to tell him about the Lord, or at least get him to an Alpha course.

Rhonda: Rats and mice, John. Rats and mice!

John: Pardon?

Rhonda: We have been having a very productive meeting discussing ways of reaching multitudes of people, while you’ve been wasting your time with one single person.

John: That’s true, but if one person came to the Lord, and brought just one more person and that person brought just one person, before long a lot of people would have been reached.

William: Sounds to me like you just want to get out of doing the real work of spreading the gospel so you can socialise.

John: No, that’s not true. I really want to reach people for the Lord.

Dave: We’ll, it just doesn’t seem that way to us.

John: I’m sorry you feel that way, because I was going to tell you I need some time off the committee so I can spend it with my neighbour, and also with my cousin who needs some support right now.

Jenny: (Coldly) Sure, John. Take as much time as you need. We’ll just all work a bit harder to cover for you.

(John sighs deeply then quietly walks out. Everyone is silent for a few seconds, obviously disappointed in John’s decision.)

Brian: So, Dave, where could we buy enough fabric for the hot air balloons?

Dave: Brack has a fabric factory in Wangaratta, maybe we could buy cheaply in bulk.

Jenny: I could get my sewing machine serviced.

Rhonda: Sounds like a plan. What a good meeting it’s been. Let’s break for coffee and come back to thrash out the details.

(All nod their heads approvingly … as they’re leaving)

William: Which Bible verses could we put on the balloons?

Dave: I was thinking “it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish”.

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